Wednesday March 21,1979
Public forum
Vernonia Freedom
by Roselinda Maycock
Lately, there has been talk of a
constitutional convention. So far, some
twenty-nine of the two-thirds of the
States
needed
have
petitioned.
A pparently, Governor Brown of
California would like to see an
amendment to the constitution that
would compel Government to balance the
Federal Budget.
Some have raised the anxious question,
“ Would such a law involve changing large
portions of the constitution?”
Others, less careful', would happily
settle for a little change here and a little
change there while they’re about the
business of balancing the budget.
A t least one person has more sweeping
notions: “ The American people wrote the
constitution, and the American people
can change the constitution,” he writes in
a statem ent more am bitious than
accurate.
This is all fair and square actually. The
American Government is of the people, by
the people, for the people. The people rule.
And if they want change, by all means,
they should take the legal steps to make
change.
B u t before try in g for a better i
constitution, it would not hurt to look ;
backwards. To pharaphrase one very
perceptive author of the 19th century
E.G. White, ‘We have nothing to fear for
the future except as we forget the past.”
And the past shows that the American
people have a constitution of which they
can be proud. Indeed, one cannot help but
admire the quality of the men who
fashioned it. The fram ers of the
constitution are a splendid example of
men’s ability to treat problems with
breadth of thougt and vision . . . a trait
prevalent in the male species. The mrnas
of women may be every bit as good as
man’s. Yet, men will always exceed, as a
rule, in leadership and in the skills of rule
a n d government. But we are digressing
here.,
' The constitution of the U.S. has
endured for almost two hundred years.
And it is still in good shape. There was, as
defined by men like Hamilton, Madison
and Jay, sound logic behind every one of
its articles. Their goal of personal freedom
plus strong national leadership became its
foundation. It is a foundation wrung from
four months of hard compromise. And it
has worked ever since. Has it not brought
America to see a pinnacle of glory?
But history has demonstrated that
every pinnacle has its decline. The last
thing anyone wants ot admit today is that
we are sliding. B ut we admit it. And we
lash out in every direction in an attempt
to check that slide. Some would solve it
with a growing chain of trivial laws. Other
point accusing fingers at the constitution.
If the laws had been different, this would
never be happening.
But the problem is not with the laws. It
is with the people. Changing the laws will
not change the people. Even if the
constitution were perfect, it could not
make a nation great. That responsibility
lies with the people of the nation.
And yet some think the solution lies in
changing
the
constitution.
No
governm ent— G od’s or man’s—can
function long on a changing law.
Principles that Shift and change with
circumstance are no laws at all. It is the
unchanging nature of a principle that
brings stability. When a law is
demonstrated to be good (indeed, the very
best that can be devised in a complex
situation) it will never improve things to
change, abolish or replace it. Replace it
with what, anyway? An inferior law that
inevitably uses force? A nation governed
by inferior laws is most certainly on its
way out.
No. The principles upon which the
constitution has been built definitely
cannot be changed without loss. Some of
these principles lie close to our hearts.
Like the belief in the natural rights of the
people; or the limitation of the power of
the Central Government; or the concept of
a Government that must have flexibility
enough to lead; or the idea of a
Government with power enough to guard
our liberties, as stated by Hamilton in the
first of the Federalist papers: “ The vigor
of Government is essential to the security
of liberty.”
Laws that change can eventually create
in the minds of the people a tendency to
take lightly all law. Anarchy is not far
behind. On the other hand, the
substitution of inferior laws'can take the
nation into the bondage of tyranny.
It is true that amendments have been
added since 1789. But any amendment is
acceptable if it does not change the basic
principles of the constitution. Such a
change simply affords a wider application
of the codes. But repeal an admittedly
good law and we pull stability out from
under a society dependent on law for
order.
It is at times of stress that the quality
of a nation’s people surface. Under
pressure, how many are there that spin
into panic with cries for a law, any law to
bring relief? Well, if we check back to the
last gasoline crisis, we see that so far not
many have cracked. Americans still seem
inclined to stand for their law though the
heavens fall.
The test of the people will come at tunes
of great pressure. What then? Will we
throw our perfectly good principles and
snatch at quick and easy solutions out
of distress? Only time will tell.
Fellow Citizens;
It’s great to talk about how Vernonia
used to be when the mill was here, but
that doesn’t solve the problems of today.
To say that we want the town to stay the
same is to ignore the realities of life.
E veryth in g m ust change and does
change. A s human beings we are gifted
with the ability to plan and control our
environment. We can make it good or we
can let it be bad. Today, Vernonia is at a
crossroads and many decisions must be
made. We can leave it to a few or accept
the responsibilities of citizenship. We
must become involved and express our
desires.
Change does not mean, as many seen to
think, greater costs. In fact, just the
opposite can be true. If change is planned
for and brought about in an orderly
manner we can all benefit in the form of
lower taxes as well as increased services.
Just as a garden not cared for will
eventually not produce good fruit, so too
will a town decay if not taken care of. I
urge everyone to get involved with a
positive attitude towards making
Vernonia a better place to live—to raise a
family or to retire in.
The community schools concept is ope
solution. Its purpose is to meet the needs
of the community whatever they may be.
However, the abilitjr to solve the
problems is directly related to the degree
of participation by the community. So lets
start thinking about what we can do
rather than what “ they” should be doing.
There are no limits to what we can
do—believe this. Call the community
center for information on what you can do
to help (429-9771). Let us know your ideas
or your needs. Together we stand, divided
we fall. With everyones help we don’t
have to settle for “ as good as,” we can be
“ better than.”
Norman Jensen
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Vernonia Sewers
b There u T X o l of thought which holds that for our planet or nation as a whole
the ultimate limits to growth will not prove to be la c k o f resources oreoergy but
over abundance of pollution and the costs of dealing with it. (This is certainly the
current situation with the nuclear power industry, for instance). I mention this not
to preface a discussion of global limits, thankfully, but to note that this situation -
“ Pollution Paralysis” -prevails here in Vernonia.
Locally, pollution paralysis takes two forms. The first is the rules of the state
Department of Environmental Quality regarding the location of septic tanks.W hile
the county has recently taken over septic tank approvals, the County Sanitarian is
stillguided by D.E.Q. regulations. There are no end of complaints one can hear
about the “ arbitrariness” and “ incompetence” of the inspecting sanitarians,
especially from people who have been unsuccessful in getting a septic permit.
The informed consensus appears to be that while the septic inspectors are people
of good will, they are young and inexperienced, long on learning and short on
common sense. Their judgement may sometimes err on the conservative side
(approval denied). Of course an immediate solution to this problem would be for the
County to pay higher sanitarians’ salaries, attracting the more experienced
sanitarians. It must be remembered, however, that many local soils are simply
unsuited for septic drainage, regardless of the inspector.
_
In any case, County Sanitarian runs a close second behind County Planner for
most thankless county job. ,
The second aspect of local pollution paralysis is Vernonia’s sewage treatment
lagoon. The state D.E.Q. has said that no more hookups to Vernonia’s sewerage
system can be permitted before the city, rehabilitates and enlarges its sewage
treatment lagoon. Currently there are about 750 hookups. The City Council is
investigating the technical and financial means of modifying the lagoon so as to
permit additional hookups. A citizens’ committee has been appointed to assist the
Council in its investigation. There is $7^,000.00 in the C ity’s proposed budget for
maintenance of the existing lagoon.
In talking to several members of the City Council and citizens’ committee, I found
that study of the sewage lagoon is still in its formative stages.
A s far as I could discover, there is no definitive answer to the question “ Is the
sewage lagoon adaquate for the existing population as far as the D.E.Q. is
concerned?” It is essential that the city obtain from the department a formal
statement of the system’s inadequacies and legal violations (if any), the D.E.Q. ’s
authority to regulate those problems, the specific remedial measures acceptable tbV~
the D.E.Q., and objective standards against which to judge compliance. Informal
conversations with regulatory officials are often contradictory and always an
inappropriate basis for financial decisions.
The City Engineers have developed a proposal for enlarging the treatment plant.
This enlargement would permit * indeed it would invite - the city population to
double. I understand that the engineers’ cost estimate for the work takes the form
of a lump sum figure in the neighborhood of *800,000, with no line item breakdown.
A lump sum estimate is a good beginning but a detailed estimate of the costs of
the various components of the project is necessary. Reliance upon a lump sum
estimate can only lead to financial, administrative and political grief for the Council
When adequately presented, the engineers’ proposal and estimate should be
thoroughly reviewed by experienced local builders and contractors, before being
used as a basis for budget requests and the like.
From the descriptions I hear of the proposal, it is a project which could be
managed and constructed with mostly local expertise and labor. I suspect the *
engineers would be surprised at how relatively inexpensively competent local people
can construct civic projects. I presume that the city would have to award any
contract on a sealed bid/lowest qualified bidder basis. Local contractors and
builders without adequate organization may find themselves unable to bid despite
their civic spirit.
So we have the curious situation that growth in this area is being restrained by the
regulatory activities of the state D.E.Q. and the federal E.P.A. However pollution
paralysis is not created by these agencies. It is a fact of life and physics that more
developement and greater population concentrations create more unpleasant wastes
which require more attention, more regulation, and more money to dispose of. The
regulators are forcing us to address and pay the increased costs for increased
developement. The question is, at what point does the price become too high?
To Freedom
NOW H EAR THIS
by G.G. Connely
The 23rd Psalm
1979 Version
(1) The peanut farmer is my shepherd
(so he says); I shall not want. (Oh, but I
do).
(2) He maketh me to lie down in (not so
green pastures, because of chemicals and
sprays used thereon); he leadeth me
beside the still waters, (void of salmon
and contaminated with nuclear waste).
(3) He destroyeth my soul; he leadeth
me in the path of (disbelief in his bom
again attitude); for his name sake.
(4) Yea, though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death (because of
his belief in De’tente and his heme for
world peace). I will fear no evil (because he
thinks that national health insurance will
take care of me); thy rod and thy staff
(causes me great discomfort, he gives it to
me every chance he gets)(the E P A art
with me).
(5) Thou preparest a table before me,
(covered with fall-out from nuclear powei
plants) m the presence o f mine enemies
(nuclear scientist); thou anointest my:
head with oil; (but i t will be domestic,
because M exican oil is priced too
high)(But, sooner or later my cup will
runneth over with unpure water.)
(6) Surly goodness and mercy shall
follow me all the days of my life; (Joe
Calif ano Jr., the Cancer Society, Lung
Association and the State of Oregon is
going to see to that, by not allowing me to
smoke), and I will dwell in a house
threatened each year by higher taxes for
ever.
EMERGENCY
PHONE
NUMBERS
C ity Police.......... ..
429-5141
A m b u lan ce. .......... .. 429-5141
Vernonia F ire D ept.. 429-3131
Col. Co. S h e riff.. . . . 429-5141
(ask for Sheriff’s Deptj